Since the Department's creation, we have worked to secure all modes of transportation, land, air and sea.

Aviation Security

More than 1.8 million passengers have received expedited screening through TSA Pre√™ security lanes since the initiative began in October 2011. TSA Pre√™ is currently available in 18 airports for select frequent flyers of participating airlines and members of CBP Trusted Traveler programs.  United Airlines, US Airways, American Airlines, Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines offer benefits of TSA Pre√™ to their eligible frequent travelers.

Under the TSA Secure Flight program, fully implemented in November 2010, DHS conducts passenger watch list matching for 100 percent of covered U.S. aircraft operator and foreign air carrier flights flying into, out of, or within the U.S.  This program identifies individuals who may pose a threat to aviation or national security and designates them for enhanced screening or, as appropriate, prohibits them from boarding an aircraft.

Although TSA does not conduct passenger screening abroad, it requires airports that serve as the last point of departure to the U.S. to meet stringent security standards. TSA assesses the security programs of all U.S. and foreign air carriers that serve last points of departure.  

In fiscal year (FY) 2011, TSA conducted more than 100 airport assessments and more than 1,900 air carrier inspections to evaluate the implementation of international and/or TSA requirements for flights to the United States.

To date in FY 2012, TSA has completed more than 70 airport assessments and more than 1,000 air carrier inspections. TSA also conducts international aviation security training for countries around the world, focusing on risk-based security strategies, including cargo security, screening techniques, vulnerability assessments and airport security management. 

Maritime

Since fiscal year 2003, DHS has provided nearly $2.6 billion in grants for the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP)—awarded based on risk—to protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism, enhance maritime domain awareness and risk management capabilities, and support the implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC).

Surface Transportation

TSA secures and safeguards mass transit and railroad operations through a variety of programs.  By performing baseline and collaborative risk assessments in the mass transit and passenger railroad domains, TSA is able to engage state and local partners to identify ways to reduce vulnerabilities, assess risk, and improve security efforts.  These assessments are conducted with emphasis on the 100 largest mass transit and passenger railroad systems in terms of passenger volume.  This group accounts for over 80 percent of all users of public transportation.

See Transportation Security Overview